Mary Ellen Mc Coy

Mary Ellen McCoy Kennedy, age 90,  most recently of Phoenix, AZ passed away peacefully on Sunday May 17, 2015.  Mary Ellen was born Jan 18, 1925 in Sparta, WI and was the first child of Robert C McCoy and Alberta ( Isensee ) McCoy.  Mary Ellen graduated from Sparta HS and received a nursing degree from St Francis School of Nursing in Lacrosse, WI.  After graduation, Mary Ellen re-located to San Francisco, CA  where she met and married Rex W Kennedy on December 28, 1948.


Mary Ellen is survived by sister Katherine ( McCoy ) Steel and brother Alan McCoy, Her children Reginald, Robert, Charles, and Sarah, as well as 12 grand-children and 1 great-grandchild.





Out-growing the small apartment in San Francisco, Rex and Mary Ellen moved with their first 2 children to their dream home in a new post-war sub-division in San Mateo.  Mary Ellen served as a cub-scout and girl-scout leader, PTA President and then resumed her nursing career in the Emergency Room at Mills Hospital in San Mateo.   She started out working part-time on the 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM shift - Saturday and Sunday nights - not quite as much trauma as on the ER TV show.  Even so San Mateo did have its share of gruesome accidents.  As the children left for college, Mary Ellen moved on to a full 40 hour shifts before retiring.





After retirement, Mary Ellen became very involved with the Rose Society of San Mateo.  She eventually relocated to the greater Phoenix area.





Other memories - I invite the members of the McCoy and Kennedy families to add their memories. 





The Road Trips.  In 1964 , during Easter vacation, Mary Ellen did a 1 week trial trip driving from San Mateo to Los Angeles.  Just her and 4 children - ages 14, 11, 9 and 7.  We visited her Aunt Lilian and did the LA landmarks at that time,  Marine Land, Disneyland, and Knott's Berry Farm.  This was in preparation for a 5 -6 day trip to go back to the McCoy farm in Sparta.  Do you remember the AAA trip-tik (sp?)  spiral bound maps books?   We did the sights along the way - Yellowstone, Mt Rushmore, and a few tacky tourist traps.  The return trip at the end of summer was north into Canada and then west to see Banff and the Seattle World's fair.`


All of us at Smart Cremation offer our sincere condolences to family and friends as we pay tribute. Please add your own memories and photos or light a candle to express your own thoughts to the family.